Materials for and method for manufacturing container with stacking shoulders and resulting container

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the invention, a method of manufacturing containers such as shipping, display and display ready packaging, for example, and resulting containers and associated preassemblies and blanks are provided, which, when utilized, result in preassemblies that are more easily and quickly assembled into fully assembled containers.

The invention relates in general to the manufacture of containers thatmay be readily used to ship and/or display contents following deliveryof the container, as specified in the independent claims.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various containers are conventionally provided as packaging for shippingor for display of product in a retail environment to prospectivecustomers. As is conventionally known in the industry, such containerscan be transported to manufacturing and/or retail environments for usein shipping or display in knock-down form, i.e., flattened but otherwisebeing glued, stapled or otherwise secured together, such that they arealready substantially pre-assembled; such knock-down form containers arealso referred to as preassemblies. In such a “knockdown” state (i.e.,knocked down or not set-up), personnel assembling the product containerneed only open the sides and or ends of the container and affix thepackage bottom wall into its assembled condition. As a result, suchcontainers assembly may be performed such that the product can be placedinto a resulting assembled container for shipping or as display packagefor ready display.

Conventionally, it has been deemed advantageous at times to stack aplurality of such containers, one on top of the other for the purposesof transport to a retail environment or during display in the retailenvironment. In this use, it is necessary that the containers stackedabove the bottom-most package are amply supported also that a stack of anumber of such containers, when filled with product, will not collapse.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of various invention embodiments. Thesummary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is neitherintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor todelineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merelypresents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description below.

In accordance with illustrated embodiments, a method of manufacturingcontainers and resulting containers and associated preassemblies andblanks, which, when utilized, result in containers having an interiorformed by a primary blank serving as an exterior of the container, theinterior including a plurality of stacking shoulders formed by ansupplementary blank at opposing ends of the container interior, whereinthe plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up orfinal assembly of exterior of the container.

Additionally, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, the pluralityof stacking shoulders is formed by coupling of the primary andsupplementary blanks at a side panel of the primary blank.Alternatively, or in addition, the plurality of stacking shoulders isformed by coupling of the primary and supplementary blanks at a backpanel of the primary blank.

The illustrated embodiments of the invention have particular utilitywhen used for the manufacture of preassemblies and associated containersthat are flat bottomed tray type containers.

These illustrated embodiments are achieved by a combination of featuresrecited in the independent claim. Accordingly, dependent claimsprescribe further detailed implementations of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments are described herein, by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now tothe drawings, it should be understood that the particulars shown are byway of example and for purposes of discussion of illustrated embodimentsonly, and are presented in order to provide what is believed to be auseful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptsof the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structuraldetails of the invention in more detail than is necessary for afundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken withthe drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the severalforms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

Accordingly, a more complete understanding of the present invention andthe utility thereof may be acquired by referring to the followingdescription in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side perspective view of a container manufacturedin accordance with an illustrated embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a primary blank used in manufacturingthe container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank used inmanufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates the interconnectedness of the primary andsupplementary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 to provide thecontainer illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly manufacturedfrom the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly manufacturedfrom the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4 during final assembly.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side perspective of an alternative embodiment of apreassembly manufactured in accordance with another illustratedembodiment as shown during final assembly of the container from thepreassembly.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a primary blank in combination withsupplementary blanks used in manufacturing the container of the typeillustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank used inmanufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 illustrates the interconnectedness of the primary andsupplementary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 to provide thecontainer illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly manufacturedfrom the blanks illustrated in FIG. 10 at a first stage of assembly.

FIG. 12 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly manufacturedfrom the blanks illustrated in FIG. 11 at a second stage of assembly.

FIG. 13 illustrates a functional block diagram used to describe themanufacturing method of containers in accordance with an illustratedembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following description of various invention embodiments, referenceis made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown, by way of illustration, various embodiments in which theinvention may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentinvention.

As explained above, it is useful to be able to stack a plurality ofcontainers one on top of the other for the purposes of transport to aretail environment or during display in the retail environment. Thisability (also known as “stackability”) requires that containers stackedabove the bottom-most package are amply supported also that a stack of anumber of such containers, when filled with product, will not collapse.

Conventionally, there are various container designs that provideincreased stackability by including, for example, stacking shouldersthat utilize additional material and components to increase the verticalstability of the container. However, the skill level and time requiredfor assembling such containers varies depending on the number of touchesrequired for assembling the container. In fact, the time required forassembling conventional containers including stacking shoulders of somesort or another may be somewhat lengthy as assembly of a container mayrequire a number of separate actions to be performed by the finalassembler of a container. The number of such separate actions isconventionally referred to as the number of “touches” required forassembly; thus, a container requiring complex assembly requires agreater number of touches than a container requiring relatively simpleassembly.

Another problem with such stackable containers is the increased height,length, width and weight of such containers due to the added materialprovided for the stacking shoulders. Therefore, although the use of suchstackable containers is useful, the increased time for final assemblyand increased dimensions and weight of the containers are deficienciesof conventional designs. Thus, there is a need for a design for astackable container (e.g., a shipping package, display or display readypackage or compartmentalized package so as to reduce fulfillment costand time) that includes stacking shoulders with less affect on theoverall dimensions and weight of the stackable container, while reducingthe amount of material used in the container and reduces the number oftouches required for final assembly of the container.

With this understanding in mind, a description of various inventionembodiments is now provided.

According to as least one illustrated embodiment, there is providedequipment configured to manufacture containers, e.g., for shipment ordisplay of product (as well as corresponding container preassemblies andblanks) that result in containers having an interior formed by a primaryblank serving as an exterior of the container, the interior including aplurality of stacking shoulders formed by an supplementary blank atopposing ends of the container interior, wherein the plurality ofstacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up or final assembly ofexterior of the container.

Understanding of the manufacturing of a container, blanks and/orpreassemblies in accordance with embodiments may best be understood byfirst reviewing an illustration of a manufactured container provided inaccordance with one illustrated embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1,one example of such a container 100 may be a flat bottomed tray, whichmay include a main compartment defined between a plurality of stackingshoulders formed by a corresponding plurality of supplementary blanks102 and included in an interior space of a primary blank 101 followingassembly. These stacking shoulders may be formed by coupling thesupplementary blanks to locations on the primary blank 101. For example,a plurality of tabs 104 (one provided on each end of the container 100by the primary blank 101) may be inserted in corresponding slots 103provided on the supplementary blank 102. Additionally, as part ofpreassembly manufacture for a preassembly for container 100, thesupplementary blank 102 may be adhered to the primary blank 101 asexplained in connection with FIGS. 5-12 so in various alternativeconfigurations to provide for improved ease of final assembly for thecontainer 100.

Such a container 100 may be used for various purposes including shippingand placement on a display floor along with other such containers in astack. However, it should be understood that the manufactured containermay be any type of container including, for example, any carton,package, box, etc. of any suitable type; accordingly, the actualconfigurations of the primary blank 101 and the interrelationship withthe supplementary blank 102 may change without departing from the scopeof the embodiments.

Thus, in accordance with illustrated embodiments, a method is providedof manufacturing containers and resulting containers 100 and associatedpreassemblies (the combination of 101, 102) and blanks 101, 102, which,when utilized, result in containers 100 that include a supplementaryblank 102 that provides a plurality of stacking shoulders that serve asa mechanism for improving the stackability of the container 100, wherebythe container 100 may be configured to bare larger amounts of force(e.g., weight) from a top direction.

Based on the illustrated examples of container designs provided withstacking shoulders as disclosed herein, it should be appreciated thatthe incorporation of the stacking shoulders increases stackability ofthe resulting containers without requiring a lengthier time period forfinal assembly and without a need for assemblers having superior skill.This is because, as explained herein, the majority of manipulation ofthe preassembly to form the stacking shoulders are already performed aspart of the assembly of the primary blank as the exterior of thecontainer. As a result, the additional touches needed to provide thestacking shoulders is reduced relative to what is conventionallyrequired.

Further, the illustrated examples of containers designs provide stackingshoulders but with significantly less material than is conventionallyrequired for stacking shoulders. For example, the square footage ofmaterial incorporated in container designs utilizing the inventiveconcept may be reduced on average between 30%-35%. This reduction inmaterial results in a reduction in the container weight and resourcesexpended to produce the container, while still providing improvedstrength.

As will be appreciated from the remaining disclosure by one of ordinaryskill in the art, the container 100 may be used to ship or displayproduct therein in a retail environment. Thus, subsequent to arrival ata retail environment or off-site fulfillment or contract packagingfacility, a knockdown version of the container 100 (e.g., a preassembly)may be assembled and product placed in the container 100 for transportand/or display.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a primary blank 101, which may bethought of as a conventional tray such as the one illustrated in FIG. 1.The knockdown of the container 100 is manufactured by joining theprimary blank 101 with a supplementary blank 102 (which may be thoughtof as a pad) illustrated in FIG. 3, as explained herein. The primaryblank 101 illustrated in FIG. 2 corresponds to an exterior of thecontainer 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4; therefore, the container 100includes primary blank 101. Likewise, the container 100 also includessupplementary blank 102 illustrated separately in FIG. 3 and inconjunction with primary blank 101 in FIGS. 4-5.

As used in FIG. 2, solid lines indicate edges of the blank illustrated,whereas dashed lines indicate perforation, folding or scoring linesprovided as part of manufacturing to enable folding of the blanks alongthe dashed lines.

As shown in FIG. 2, the primary blank 101 includes a first front endpanel 105, a side panel 106 and a first back end panel 107, along with abottom panel 108 and a second front end panel 109 and a second back endpanel 110. The primary blank 101 also includes a plurality of minorpanels 111 with included interlock tabs that interact with correspondingminor side panel portions 113, 114 to provide an open side of thecontainer illustrated in FIG. 1. The primary blank 101 also includesminor panels 115 that fold over as part of assembly and provide part ofthe exterior of container 100 by interacting with panels 117, 118.

Thus, the total width 119 of the blank 101 includes the width 120 of theside panel 106 as well as the width 121 of the bottom panel 108 and thewidths 122 (which is approximately the same width as width 124 of theminor panels 111) and 123 of the minor side panels 113, 114. Likewise,the total length 125 of the blank 101 includes the length 126 of thefirst back end panel 107, which is slightly larger than the length 127of the second back end panel 110, as well as the width 130 of the bottompanel 108. The total length 125 also includes the widths 128, 129 of thepanels 118, 117 respectively.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a supplementary blank 102 used inmanufacturing the container of the type illustrated in FIG. 1. Thesupplementary blank 102 includes a major panel 131 as well as a minorpanel 132 and two end panels 133, 134. The major panel 131 includes twoslots 103 located and configured to interact with tab 104 of the primaryblank 101 as part of final assembly of the container 100. As will bebecome clear with reference to FIGS. 4-6, the two locations for theslots 103 are provided because the supplementary blank may be used oneither the front end or back end of the container 100. As such, thesupplementary blank 102 needs to be flipped horizontally depending onthe end on which the blank 102 is to be located.

The total length 135 of the supplementary blank 102 includes the length136 of the major panel 131, as well as the lengths 137, 138 of the twoend panels 133, 134 respectively and the length 139 of the minor panel132. The total width 140 of the blank 102 may be uniform across themajor panel 131, minor panel 132 and end panels 133, 134.

As explained above, illustrated embodiments may provide improvedassembly of containers for shipping and/or display ready packaging thathave increased stackability as a result of stacking shoulders formed bythe interaction of the supplementary blank 102 with the primary blank101 through at least one of adhering a plurality of parts of thesupplementary and primary blanks to one another.

FIG. 4 illustrates the interconnectedness of the primary and secondaryblanks illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 to provide the container illustratedin FIG. 1. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the primary andsupplementary blanks 101, 102 may be configured so as to interact in amanner that enables the stacking shoulders to be formed easily andquickly as part of the final assembly of the container 100. Accordingly,the total length and width dimensions for the blanks 101, 102 and theirconstituent panels, walls and sections may be selected so as tofacilitate the positioning of the supplementary blanks 102 with respectto the interior of the assembled primary blank 101.

In one potential implementation, one or more portions of the primary andsupplementary blanks 101, 102 may be adhered to one another via, forexample, adhesive such as glue, staples, tape, etc. so as to produce apreassembly (e.g., a knockdown or preassembly for the containerillustrated in FIG. 1.), wherein the positioning of supplementary blank102 in cooperation with primary blank 101 is controlled. For example,the primary and supplementary blanks 101, 102 may be adhered to eachother on their mating faces (e.g., the bottom face of supplementaryblank 102 and the top face of the primary blank 101. More specifically,adhesive may be applied to end panels 133, 134 of each of thesupplementary blanks 102; subsequently, the end panels may be placed incontact with corresponding portions of the end panels of the primaryblank 101 during preassembly manufacture.

More specifically, an end panel 134 of a first supplementary blank 102may be adhered to the first front end panel 105 and the correspondingend panel 133 of the first supplementary blank 102 may be adhered to theside panel 106. Similarly, the end panel 134 of the second supplementaryblank 102 may be adhered to first back end panel 107 and thecorresponding end panel 133 may be adhered to side panel 106.Accordingly, adhesive may be applied on the top surfaces of the panelsof the primary blank 101 or on bottom surfaces of the end panels 133,134 of the supplementary blanks 102. Following application of adhesive,the supplementary blanks 102 may be placed in contact with the primaryblank 101 to provide adherence between primary and supplementary blanks101, 102.

As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be provided that which,when utilized, results in a container having an interior formed by aprimary blank serving as an exterior of the container, the interiorincluding a plurality of stacking shoulders formed by the supplementaryblank at opposing ends of the container interior, wherein the pluralityof stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up or final assemblyof exterior of the container.

It should be appreciated that, as a first operation in manufacturing thepreassembly for the container 100, the faces of the primary andsupplementary blanks 101, 102 are affixed together at various locations.Thus, although not shown, a preassembly may be provided wherein theprimary and supplementary blanks 101, 102 are adhered to one another viaadhesive but the panels, walls, etc. are not configured for finalassembly. As a result, such a preassembly may be delivered to a locationfor final assembly and placement of product; such a preassembly may beeffectively and easily stacked with other preassemblies because suchpreassemblies are flat having not yet been built or assembled as shownin FIG. 1. Accordingly, it should be understood that the faces of theblanks 101, 102 may be affixed in one or more suitable mannersincluding, for example but not limited to, application of adhesive onone or both of the affixed faces, use of staples, tape, etc.

Thus, FIG. 5 illustrates a side perspective of the preassemblymanufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5,the supplementary blanks 102 are adhered to the primary blank 101 andlocated such that two non-overlapping sections 142, 143 are provided onthe first front end panel 105 and the first back end panel 107,respectively.

FIG. 6 illustrates a side perspective of the preassembly manufacturedfrom the blanks illustrated in FIG. 4 during final assembly. As shown inFIG. 6, the side panel 106 and first front and back end panels 105, 107are folded towards the remaining components of the preassembly such thatside panel 106 becomes a major side panel of the container 100 and thefirst front and back end panels 105, 107 form front and back ends of thecontainer 100, respectively.

Subsequently, the second front and back end panels 109, 111 are foldedupward and the pairs of panels 117, 118 on each end are folded over therespective end panels 105, 107 to enable the tabs 104 provided on eachend to be inserted into the corresponding slot 103.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side perspective of an alternative embodiment of apreassembly manufactured in accordance with another illustratedembodiment, as shown during final assembly of the container from thepreassembly. As shown in FIG. 7, the stacking shoulders are formed bysupplementary blanks 702 adhered to singular end panels of the primaryblank 701. Thus, whereas the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 has firstand second end panels on both the front and back ends of the container700, the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 7 has only a single front andback end panel as part of the primary blank 701.

The knockdown of the container 700 is manufactured by joining theprimary blank 701 (illustrated in FIG. 8) with a supplementary blank 702which may be thought of as a pad (illustrated in both FIGS. 8 and 9), asexplained herein. The blank 701 illustrated in FIG. 8 corresponds to anexterior of the container 700 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4; therefore,the container 700 includes primary blank 701. Likewise, the container700 also includes supplementary blank 702 illustrated in combinationwith primary blank 701 in FIG. 8 and also separately in FIG. 9.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a combination primary blank 701 andsecondary blanks 702 provided together in a manner that may be providedin a single die cut and scoring phase of manufacturing the container ofthe type illustrated in FIG. 7. As used in FIG. 7, solid lines indicateedges of the blanks illustrated, whereas dashed lines indicateperforation, folding or scoring lines provided as part of manufacturingto enable folding of the blanks along the dashed lines.

As shown in FIG. 8, a substantial portion of the primary blank 701 isconfigured similarly to the primary blank illustrated in FIG. 2;accordingly, those panels that are similar are not particularlyreferenced with new reference numbers. However, that portion of theprimary blank 701 that includes differing components, structure orpanels are separately numbered as follows.

Minor panels 148 and 150 and a first major side panel 149 are providedalong the panels that comprise the front end panel 109, bottom panel 108and a back end panel 110. The minor panels 148, 150 and first major sidepanel 149 and a second major side panel 156 are adjacent to the twosupplementary blanks 702.

Thus, the width 156 of the second major side panel 146 is smaller thanthe width of the first major side panel 149. The length 157 of the firstmajor side panel 149 is substantially equal to the length of the secondmajor side panel 146. Like the embodiment of FIG. 2, however, theembodiment of FIG. 7 also includes a bottom panel 108 that includesslots 116, two of which most proximate to the first major side panel 149interact with tabs 145 provided on the second major side panel 146.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the secondary blanks 702 include a major panel158 and a plurality of end panels 153, 154 that are hingedly connected.The total length 160 of the secondary blank 702 includes the length 161of the major panel 158, and the lengths 162 of the end panels 153, 154.The width 163 of the secondary blank 702 is uniform among the pluralityof panels 153, 154, 158.

It should be appreciated that, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, thisembodiment's supplementary blank 702 includes only one slot 703. This isbecause there is no need to have alternative slot locations even ifsupplementary blank 702 is used on either end of the container 700; morespecifically, there is no need to flip the blank (as in blank 102 of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1) because the blank 702 is symmetricalhorizontally.

FIG. 10 illustrates the interconnectedness of the primary andsupplementary blanks illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 to provide thecontainer illustrated in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 10, the blanks 702 arepositioned over the end panels 109, 110 to provide a preassembly asillustrated in FIG. 11. Accordingly, the end panels 154 of the secondaryblanks 702 may overlap the minor side panels 111 of the primary blank701.

In one potential implementation, one or more portions of the primary andsupplementary blanks 701, 702 may be adhered to one another via, forexample, adhesive such as glue, staples, tape, etc. so as to produce apreassembly (e.g., a knockdown or preassembly for the containerillustrated in FIGS. 10-12), wherein the positioning of supplementaryblanks 702 in cooperation with primary blank 701 is controlled. Forexample, the primary and supplementary blanks 701, 702 may be adhered toeach other on one or more mating faces. More specifically, adhesive maybe applied to end panels 153, 154 of each of the supplementary blanks702; subsequently, the end panels 153, 154 may be placed in contact withcorresponding portions of the primary blank 701 as shown in FIGS. 10-12during preassembly manufacture.

More specifically, a top surface of the end panel 153 of a firstsupplementary blank 702 may be adhered to a mating surface of a primaryblank minor side panel 148 (as explained below with reference to FIG.12) and a corresponding top surface of an end panel 153 of a secondsupplementary blank 702 may be adhered to the bottom surface of aprimary blank minor side panel 150. Similarly, the bottom surfaces ofthe end panels 154 of the supplementary blanks 702 may be adhered to thetop surfaces of minor panels 111 of the primary blanks 701. Accordingly,adhesive may be applied on the top surfaces of the panels of the primaryblank 101 or mating surfaces of the end panels 153, 154 of thesupplementary blanks 702. Following application of the adhesive, thesupplementary blanks 702 may be placed in contact with the primary blank701 to provide adherence between primary and supplementary blanks 701,702.

Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 12 a final stage of preassemblymanufactured from the blanks illustrated in FIG. 10 involves the foldingof the minor panels 148, 150 towards the supplementary blanks 702located on the top surface of the end panels 109, 110 respectively.Subsequently, the minor panels 148, 150 and their correspondingsupplementary blanks 702 are adhered to one another, e.g., end panels153 for the supplementary blanks 702 illustrated in FIG. 11 are adheredwith the bottom surface of the minor panels 148, 150. Likewise, asexplained above, the bottom surfaces of the supplementary blank endpanels 154 illustrated in FIG. 11 may be adhered to the top surfaces ofthe minor panels 111 of the primary blank 701.

As a result of such a process, a preassembly may be provided which, whenutilized, results in a container having an interior formed by a primaryblank serving as an exterior of the container; the container interiorincludes a plurality of stacking shoulders formed by the supplementaryblanks at opposing ends of the container interior, wherein the pluralityof stacking shoulders are formed as part of the set up or final assemblyof exterior of the container.

Accordingly, the inclusion of stacking shoulders is implemented withminimal effort and deviation from the assembly required for the exteriorof the container. Thus, stacking shoulders may be provided with improvedease and consistency as part of final assembly of a container exterior.

FIG. 13 illustrates a functional block diagram used to describe themanufacturing method of containers in accordance with an illustratedembodiment. As alluded to in the background section, and asconventionally known, the manner of manufacturing containers such as theexamples illustrated in FIGS. 1-12 may be conveniently described in twophases: preassembly and final assembly/use.

Preassembly is normally performed at a container manufacturing facilityto produce a preassembly which may also be thought of and referred to asa knockdown of the container. These preassemblies may be shipped to acustomer location such as a product manufacturing facility or retailenvironment or third party fulfillment contract packaging facility. Atthat destination, the container customer may perform final assembly/useof the containers by, for example, folding and assembling various panelsof the container to provide a container that is configured to holdmanufacture product, e.g., for shipping and/or display.

In such operations, the manufacturing of the container preassemblies maybe performed by the customer of the preassemblies and/or as part ofmanufacture of the preassemblies as illustrated in FIG. 13.

FIG. 13 illustrates various functional operations performed as part ofthe manufacture of a preassembly by, for example, a display, shipping ordisplay ready packaging manufacturer. The operations may begin, forexample, with printing 1305 of container material prior to the containermaterial being die cut and/or scored 1310 as part of an overall blankmanufacturing operation 1315. The manufactured blanks 1330 may or maynot be printed on one or both sides of the blanks 1330 depending oncustomer requirements. Accordingly, the printing operation 1305 may beomitted.

Subsequent to blank manufacturing 1315, the manufactured blanks may beaffixed to one another as part of the joining of multi-blank preassemblyoperations 1320. The operations performed at 1320 may be performed invarious suitable manners including by hand or using various commerciallyavailable machines (for example, those produced by BahmuellerTechnologies, Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., USA or Bobst Group North Americaof Roseland, N.J., USA). Thus, the operations performed at 1320 mayproduce preassemblies for containers such as that illustrated in FIGS. 1and 7.

Therefore, it should be appreciated that one or more of the operationsperformed to produce blanks, preassemblies, knockdowns and containersmay be performed in whole or in part by machines and or human personnel.Moreover, human personnel may utilize one or more different types ofmachines and/or tools to perform assembly operations performed either tomanufacture preassemblies or finally assembled containers.

Thus, at the beginning of such operations, raw material 1325 is used toproduce blanks 1330. Such raw materials 1325 may include but are notlimited to various grades, types, configurations and combinations ofcorrugated fiberboard and/or solid paperboard, liner board, board ofvarious fluting types and combinations as well as various types ofsealants, non-organic materials and inks and dies of various suitabletypes.

It should be understood that implementation of the method and system ofthe present invention involves performing or completing certain selectedtasks or steps manually, automatically, or a combination thereof.

While this invention has been described in conjunction with the specificembodiments outlined above, it is evident that many alternatives,modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, the various embodiments of the invention, as set forthabove, are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changesmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

For example, various illustrated features of the preassembly andresulting containers may be omitted. Furthermore, it should beunderstood that invention embodiments are capable of variationspracticed or carried out in various ways. Therefore, it should beappreciated that, in accordance with at least one embodiment of theinvention, any and all of the walls may be constructed of corrugatedcardboard. However, it should be understood that the walls, panels, anytabs on various panels, etc., may be constructed of various industryrecognized appropriate materials that meet various transporting and/ordisplay criteria. As a result, it should be understood that containersmanufactured in accordance with at least one embodiment of the inventionmay also be considered “cartons,” which may be considered packaging ordisplay containers, commonly made from cardstock or cardboard. Further,it should be understood that cartons come in many different varietiesbut most cartons can be folded and assembled from a flat form, known asa carton blank. Thus, it should be understood that the pattern for anyblank, preassembly or container may be different than those describedherein.

Alternatively, or more specifically, the packaging and/or displaycontainers may be made using corrugated board, e.g., material made by acorrugator (a machine that produces corrugated board by attachingfluting to liners) which is a structured board formed by gluing one ormore arched layers of corrugated medium to one or more flat-facinglinerboards.

Additionally, it should be appreciated that material used in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the invention may be laminated toprovide barrier properties. Further, other barrier materials may be usedincluding Ultra Violet (UV), moisture and gas barriers. Additionally,though not discussed in detail herein, it should be understood that anyadhesive used to provide a bond between materials used in containersprovided in accordance with the invention may include any substance thathelps bond two materials together, examples including but not limited toglue and paste.

Further, it should be appreciated that the material used to form theprimary blank may be different, stronger, or weaker than the blank usedto form the supplementary blank. Thus, for example, use of asupplementary blank that is of a heavier, more durable or strongermaterial than the material used for primary blank, may provide theincreased ease of final assembly as well as increased durability orstrength to the resulting container while reducing the amount ofmaterial in the container (something of interest for environmental andcost issues).

It should also be appreciated that certain features of the invention,which are, for clarity, described in the context of separateembodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment.Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity,described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be providedseparately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives,modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scopeof the appended claims. All publications, patents and patentapplications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated intheir entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extentas if each individual publication, patent or patent application wasspecifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein byreference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference inthis application shall not be construed as an admission that suchreference is available as prior art to the present invention.

Additionally, it should be understood that the functionality describedin connection with various described components of various inventionembodiments may be combined or separated from one another in such a waythat the structure of the invention is somewhat different than what isexpressly disclosed herein.

For example, although not discussed in detail, it should be appreciatedthat the supplementary blank and/or resulting stacking shoulders may be,for example, rectangular or trapezoidal or any other configuration thatprovides the features to manufactured containers discussed herein.

Moreover, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specified,there is no essential requirement that methodology operations beperformed in the illustrated order; therefore, one of ordinary skill inthe art would recognize that some operations may be performed in one ormore alternative order and/or simultaneously.

As a result, it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that theillustrative embodiments described are only examples and that variousmodifications can be made within the scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

1. A method of manufacturing a container, the method comprising: cuttinga primary blank including a plurality of side panels and end panelsconfigured to provide an exterior of the container; cutting a pluralityof supplementary blanks each including a major panel and a plurality ofend panels; and affixing an end panel of each supplementary blank and apanel of the primary blank such that, as the container is assembled, anexterior of the container is formed by the plurality of side panels andend panels of the primary blank, wherein a plurality of stackingshoulders are formed by the supplementary blanks at opposing ends of aninterior of the container, and the plurality of stacking shoulders areformed as part of the final assembly of the primary blank as theexterior of the container.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of side and end panels of the primary blank include first andsecond front end panels, at least one side panel and first and secondback end panels.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality ofsupplementary blank end panels are affixed to either the first front endpanel or the first back end panel.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of side and end panels of the primary blank include a frontend panel, major and minor side panels, a back end panel and minorpanels.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary blank is affixedto the supplementary blank via application of an adhesive.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein each supplementary blank includes at least one slotconfigured and located to receive a corresponding tab included in theprimary blank.
 7. A container preassembly comprising: a primary blankincluding a plurality of side panels and end panels configured toprovide an exterior of the container; a plurality of supplementaryblanks each including a major panel and a plurality of end panels,wherein an end panel of each supplementary blank and a panel of theprimary blank are affixed such that, as the container is assembled, anexterior of the container is formed by the plurality of side panels andend panels of the primary blank, wherein a plurality of stackingshoulders are formed by the supplementary blanks at opposing ends of aninterior of the container, and the plurality of stacking shoulders areformed as part of the final assembly of the primary blank as theexterior of the container.
 8. The preassembly of claim 7, wherein thecontainer is a display.
 9. The preassembly of claim 7, wherein theplurality of side and end panels of the primary blank include a firstand second front end panels, at least one side panel and first andsecond back end panels.
 10. The preassembly of claim 9, wherein theplurality of supplementary blank end panels are affixed to either thefirst front end panel or the first back end panel.
 11. The preassemblyof claim 7, wherein the plurality of side and end panels of the primaryblank include a front end panel, major and minor side panels, a back endpanel and minor panels.
 12. The preassembly of claim 7, wherein theprimary blank is affixed to the supplementary blank via application ofan adhesive.
 13. The preassembly of claim 7, wherein each supplementaryblank includes at least one slot configured and located to receive acorresponding tab included in the primary blank.
 14. A plurality ofblanks for a container preassembly, the plurality of blanks comprising:a primary blank including a plurality of side panels and end panelsconfigured to provide an exterior of the container; a plurality ofsupplementary blanks each including a major panel and a plurality of endpanels, wherein the primary blank is configured to mate with and beaffixed with the supplementary blanks so that an end panel of eachsupplementary blank is affixed with an end panel of the primary blanksuch that, as the container is assembled, an exterior of the containeris formed by the plurality of side panels and end panels of the primaryblank, wherein a plurality of stacking shoulders are formed by thesupplementary blanks at opposing ends of an interior of the container,and the plurality of stacking shoulders are formed as part of the finalassembly of the primary blank as the exterior of the container.
 15. Theplurality of blanks of claim 14, wherein the container is a display. 16.The plurality of blanks of claim 14, wherein the plurality of side andend panels of the primary blank include a first and second front endpanels, at least one side panel and first and second back end panels.17. The plurality of blanks of claim 16, wherein the plurality ofsupplementary blank end panels are affixed to either the first front endpanel or the first back end panel.
 18. The plurality of blanks of claim14, wherein the plurality of side and end panels of the primary blankinclude a front end panel, major and minor side panels, a back end paneland minor panels.
 19. The plurality of blanks of claim 14, wherein theprimary blank is affixed to the supplementary blank via application ofan adhesive.
 20. The plurality of blanks of claim 14, wherein eachsupplementary blank includes at least one slot configured and located toreceive a corresponding tab included in the primary blank.